Veneer panel and method of forming



May 17, 1932.

F. W. HUMPHNER VENEER PANEL AND METHOD OF FORMING Filed Oct. 10, 1931Patented May 17, 1932 UNITED STATES eases? PATENT OFFICE FERDINAND W.HUMPHNER, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MID-STATES GUMMED PAPER00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS VENEER PANEL ANDMETHOD OF FORMING- Application filed October 10, 1931.

i This invention relates particularly to veneer panels-and to a methodof forming such panels.

One of the objects of the invention is to 5} providea veneer panel ofsturdy and inexpensive construction which may be applied to a surface Dwith little effort and which, when laid in position, presents a smoothand even exterior. Another object is to provide a panel formed ofunusually thin sheets of veneer which are united in such a manner as tosecurely bind the adjacent edges of the sheets to a surface, theexterior of the panel being smooth and even. A further object is toprovide a method of forming panels which may be subjected toconsiderable handling, as during shipment, and of applying the panels insuch a manner as to avoid unevenness in the finished panel and to avoidthe necessity of treating the exterior thereof. This invention conservesmaterials and eliminates Waste, also, reduces time in the manufacture ofveneered articles. Other objects and advantages will appear as thespecification proceeds.

The invention is fully described in the following specification andshown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a brokenperspective view of a panel embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a similarperspective view, showing, however, the union strip partially divided;and Fig. 3, a transverse sectional View.

In the illustration given, A and B designate respectively a pair ofveneer sheets; and C designates a union strip which overlaps theadjacent edges of the veneer sheets and unites them.

The veneer sheets A and B may be of any suitable form and of anysuitable material. In the illustration given, they are formed of woodand preferably they comprise very thin sheets of wood. It is practicalto employ sheets of veneer substantially thinner than has previouslybeen employed. Veneer sheets can he used down to 1/l20th of an inch inthickness by my method, where previously 1/20th of an inch was employed.

The union strip C may be formed of any suitable fibrous and splitablematerial. I

Serial No. 568,158.

prefer to employ a strip of paper having suitable fibers for uniting thesheets of veneer and which also may be split to leave a minor portion ofthe paper strip secured to the sheets A and B. Paper having short fiber,of close formation and partially sized has been found to besatisfactory. Then the strip is glued to the veneer sheets, it has beenfound that the glue penetrates a short distance into the strip; thenwhen the paper is divided or split, the larger portion, say abouttwothirds, of the strip is removed. The remaining thin web 10 issuflicient to hold the panels A and B securely together, particularlyduring the operation of applying the panel to a surface D.

The free or exposed surface of the Web 10 is formed of loose fiberswhich readily absorb glue and which may be compressed into smallcompass. The removed portion 11 of the union strips C may be discarded.As shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, the strip C is provided with atab extension or free end 12.

Heretofore, in forming veneer panels, it has been the practice to applystrips of paper to the outer adjacent edge portions of the sheets andthe sheets thus united are glued to the desired surface. The paper stripon the outer or exposed surface of the panel is then removed by sanding,the sanding operation being carried out by a sand belt, sanding machineor the like. In this operation, it is necessary to remove no't only thepaper but also the portions of paper fiber and glue WlllCll havepenetrated into the veneer sheets.

Accordingly, it has been the practice to remove a considerable portionof the veneer sheets not only at the lines of union but also over theentire surface, in order topresent a smooth and even exterior. This hasnecessitated the use of panels of substantial thickness.

According to my method, it is practicable to employ thinner veneersheets than have previously been used in the construction of panels; andthe sanding operation above described is dispensed with.

The veneer sheets A and B, united as illust-rated in Fig. 1, may besubjected to the rough handling encountered in shipment without damage,the union strip C being sufficiently thick to withstand the stress andstrain imposed by such usage. When the veneer sheets are ready to beapplied to the desired surface, in the practice of my improved method,the tab or free end 12 of strip C is grasped and the upper portion 11removed. This leaves the thin web 10 with its exposed loose fibersuniting the veener sheets. The web- 10 is sufficiently strong to holdthe sheets A and B together while they are being applied to a surface. Alayer of glue is applied to the rear sides of the sheets A and B and tothe web 10 and the panel is then placed in position against the desiredsurface. Under compression, the fibers of strip 10 are compressed sothat the thickness of the web 10 after application equals substantiallythe thickness of the glue layer which units the veneer sheets directlyto the desired surface. It has been found that more glue is required tobond the veneer to a sur face than to bond the fibrous web 10. After thepanel has been placed in position, they exterior of the panel is smoothand even, no bulge occurring at the line of union of the veneer sheets.

It will be observed that with my improved panel and method of formingand applying it, that sheets of relatively thin cross-section may beemployed, that the sanding operations formerly used are dispensed with,and that the exterior or finished side of the veneer sheets are notmarred in any way so as to require treatment, the adjacent edges of thesheets being held firmly together and their union to a desired surfacereinforced by the fibrous web 10. The web 10 is not splitable and theglue which cements it to surface D readily penetrates the fibers andmeets the glue which bonds strip 10 to the sheets A and B. The thicknessof the web 10 and the pressable character of its fibers permits it to beused on the inner side against surface D without deforming the exteriorof the panel.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly aspermissible in view of the prior art.

I claim: H g

1. A veneer panel comprising at least two sheets of veneer unitededgewise by a strip of split paper overlapping and bonded to adjacentedges of the sheets.

2. A veneer panel comprising at least two sheets of veneer unitededgewise by a strip of split paper overlapping and bonded to adjacentedge portions of the rear sides of the sheets, the'split side of thepaper strip being exposed.

3. A veneer panel comprising at least a pair of sheets of veneer unitededgewise by a strip of splitable paper overlapping and bonded toadjacent edge portions of the sheets, said strip having a free tabportion extending beyond the edges of said sheet.

4. The method of applying veneer panels to a surface comprising unitinga plurality of veneer sheets by splitable paper strips, said stripsoverlapping and being bonded to adjacent edge portions of the sheet,tearing away the outer portion of the paper strips, and bonding thepapered side of said sheets to said surface.

5. The method of applying veneer panels to a surface comprising unitinga plurality of veneer sheets edgewise by bonding to the adjacent rearedge portions thereof a splitable paper web, tearing away the outerportion of the paper web, and securing the veneer sheets to a surface sothat the split paper web lies between the surface and the veneer sheets.

FERDINAND W. HUMPHNER.

